Section 77-3-105 - Inclusion of certain expenditures in electric public utility rate base and rates; accrual of reasonable rate of return; cancellation or abandonment of construction; prudence reviews; appeal of final order of commission(1)(a) The commission is fully empowered and authorized to include in an electric public utility's rate base and rates, as used and useful components of furnishing electric service, all expenditures determined to be prudently-incurred pre-construction, construction, operating and related costs that the utility incurs in connection with a generating facility (including but not limited to all such costs contained in the utility's "Construction Work in Progress" or "CWIP" accounts), whether or not the construction of any generating facility is ever commenced or completed, or the generating facility is placed into commercial operation. However, all costs incurred before May 9, 2008, may be reflected in rates only upon an order of the Public Service Commission after a finding of prudency.(b) The commission is further empowered and authorized to allow a public utility to accrue a just and reasonable rate of return to be determined by the commission on the unrecovered balance of any pre-construction or construction costs which shall include all costs incurred before May 9, 2008, and such costs may be reflected in rates only upon an order of the Public Service Commission after a finding of prudency.(c) The commission may order that pre-construction, construction, operating and related costs be reflected in rates either as a part of base rates or through the operation of a rider schedule or other similar rate mechanism, or through a combination thereof, as the commission deems appropriate and in the public interest, and such costs incurred before May 9, 2008, may be reflected in rates only upon an order of the Public Service Commission after a finding of prudency.(d) Notwithstanding other provisions of this section, recovery of any construction costs incurred in excess of the amount estimated by the public utility in a certificate proceeding will be addressed by the commission in a proceeding after the generating facility is completed and commences commercial operation, upon petition by the public utility.(e) Once the commission grants a facilities certificate, no public utility shall abandon or cancel construction of a generating facility without approval from the commission based on a finding that the construction is no longer in the public interest. Notwithstanding any provisions of this article to the contrary, if the generating facility is abandoned or cancelled without the approval of the commission, the commission shall determine whether the public interest will be served to allow (i) the recovery of all or part of the prudently incurred pre-construction, construction and related costs in connection with the generating facility and related facilities, (ii) the recovery of a return on the unrecovered balance of the utility's prudently-incurred costs at a just and reasonable rate of return to be determined by the commission, or (iii) the implementation of credits, refunds or rebates to ratepayers to defray costs incurred for the generating facility.(2)(a) The commission is authorized to conduct prudence reviews on a periodic or ongoing basis with regard to any pre-construction, construction, operating and related costs associated with a generating facility, to hold hearings thereon, and to reflect the outcome of such commission reviews, including commission prudence determinations, in the public utility's rates. The commission is authorized to make and issue such prudence determinations as frequently as each calendar quarter. The commission is authorized to set a procedural schedule for such commission determinations. Any such prudence determinations shall be binding in all future regulatory proceedings affecting such generating facility, unless the generating facility is imprudently abandoned or cancelled.(b) The Executive Director of the Public Utilities Staff and the commission may enter into professional services contracts with one or more consultants to audit pre-construction, construction and related costs incurred for a generating facility and to make such reports and provide testimony thereon as may be required by the executive director or the commission, as applicable. Such contracts shall be considered to be for auditor or utility rate expert services under Section 25-9-120. Costs associated with such professional service contracts shall not exceed Three Hundred Fifty Thousand Dollars ($350,000.00) for work performed on any given nuclear generating facility and Two Hundred Thousand Dollars ($200,000.00) on any given non-nuclear generating facility, in any twelve-month period; provided, however, the Public Utilities Staff and the commission may by rule, after notice and hearing, modify these amounts. The consultants shall submit periodically to the executive director or the commission, as applicable, for approval of payment, itemized bills detailing the work performed. The executive director or the chairman of the commission, as applicable, shall requisition the audited public utility to make the requisite payments to such consultants. Payments by the audited public utility shall be considered as pre-construction, construction, operating or related costs and recoverable pursuant to paragraph (c) of subsection (1).(c) The provisions of Sections 77-3-37(7) (b) and 77-3-39(10) and (15) shall not apply to any proceeding for the change in rates by the commission in connection with a generating facility.(3) Any party aggrieved by any final order of the commission relating to any generating facility shall have a right of direct appeal to the Mississippi Supreme Court. The procedures set out in Section 77-3-72 for direct appeal, including those provisions relating to periods of time in which filings are to be made, shall apply to any commission final order promulgated, in whole or in part, pursuant to this article. Laws, 2008, ch. 531, § 3, eff. 5/9/2008.